


sugar and spice and everything nice

by reachedthebitterend



Series: sugar and spice and everything nice [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reachedthebitterend/pseuds/reachedthebitterend
Summary: the one where alex owns a bakery, specializing in divorce cakes and michael owns a flower shop and goes to pick up a cake for isobel, it's love at first sight, for michael at least
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: sugar and spice and everything nice [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728079
Comments: 7
Kudos: 96





	sugar and spice and everything nice

**Author's Note:**

> Written On: 10/29/19

Michael looks down at the address written on the paper in his hands and sees the name of the bakery written in Isobel’s loopy handwriting, and then looks back out of his windshield at the shop he’s parked in front of. 

It’s nestled between a bookshop and a coffee shop, arguably the best place to be if you’re a bakery, especially with the name, _Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice_.

But the display in front of the window looks like it came out of a spread for the fictional magazine, Witches Brew Weekly, and Michael wonders exactly what kind of cake Isobel had made here.

He also wonders exactly why she’s throwing a Happy Divorce Party, but sometimes it’s better to not understand the workings of his sister’s mind. He goes crazy trying to figure her out on a daily basis.

Michael inhales deeply, and tells himself that looks can be deceiving, prime example being himself and how people react when he tells them that he owns his own flower shop and studied horticulture in college.

He grabs his cowboy hat from where he’d set it on the passenger seat and puts it over his head as he gets out of his truck.

Michael walks towards the bakery, eyeing the display with some more interest as he gets closer.

The spiders crawling all over the cupcakes look too real and are creeping him out a little bit, but there is something oddly charming about the three tiered cake depicting the beheading of Anne Boleyn.

Michael walks in through the door, and jumps a little when there is a creepy haunted mansion style doorbell ringing through the room announcing his presence.

He bites down on the smile that wants to pull at his lips and looks around the place.

The color scheme is all dark, mostly black and white but with dark red and dark purple accents. There are three display cases practically caging in the six small tables with two chairs each, made up of glossy purple wood and black glass panelling one with normal looking breakfast pastries and muffins, the other with a different kinds of cupcakes each depicting a Summer yet halloween based theme, like two ghosts snorkeling or a skeleton tanning, and the last, right in front of double doors that Michael is sure lead to the kitchen with a register perched on top and a few baskets full of what looks like freshly baked bread, and underneath on display through the glass beneath a sign that says, _Our Specialty One of a Kind Divorce Cakes, No Two Cakes Will Ever Be the Same, We Guarantee,_ are an array of cakes that could pass for wedding cakes if it weren’t for the terrifying scenarios being depicted.

Before Michael can get any closer to see what he can make out beside the one where it looks like a tiny fondant bride is tossing her tiny fondant husband into a wood chipper, the double doors opens, and a young woman with long dark hair held away from her face by a black visor with the name of the bakery and the skull and crossbones design that is at the front of the store stitched with holographic silver thread on the rim. She’s wearing a black apron with the name _Rosa_ stitched in the front with the same holographic silver thread over an outfit that wouldn’t be out of place in the middle of a mosh pit. She’s carrying a tray of what looks like caramel apples with a little sign that says, _If you spend more than 20$ you get me for free!_ and looks up, mouth open like she’s about to say something and she stops, giving him a very obvious once over, before making a face at the cowboy hat.

She still smiles, bright and wide and a little flirty, red lips coming off more like a warning than a beacon, and sets the tray down in the space between the register and the first basket of bread.

“Well, hello there,” she says, as she leans against the counter. “Welcome to _Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice_ , where we make all of your not so sweet dreams come true. What can I do for you?”

Michael blinks at her, “Shouldn’t it be sweet dreams?”

Rosa’s grin turns all teeth and predatory, “If you’re in them, then sure.”

Michael just smiles shaking his head a little before he tugs out the paper that Isobel had given him.

“I’m here to pick up an order,” he says and hands over the paper.

Rosa takes it and reads it quickly before making a face, kind of like the one she made when she saw his hat.

She walks to the double doors and pushes open one of them yelling, “Someone’s here to pick up the Ice Queen’s order!”

Michael would protest the use of the nickname but he knows it’s probably something that Isobel would like.

There is a startled yelp, and then the sound of something metal clattering to the floor, before someone is cursing low and fervently.

Rosa just lets the door fall close and turns back to Michael, “The Chef will be right with you.”

Michael nods his head and casts a look around the shop and his gaze is caught by the window display again.

“You design all of these?” He asks looking back at Rosa. She has that air about her that tells him that she’s artistic, but she shakes her head.

“No,” she says sounding amused. “Most of the designs are Alex’s, except for the spider collection. Alex mostly keeps me around because I’m much better at customer service than he is.”

“Which really isn’t saying much,” a dry voice says from the double doors.

Michael turns towards the newcomer and feels almost like he’s been hit across the back of the head with a baseball bat.

While he blinks dazed and confused, it’s almost like everything is moving in slow motion.

The vision stands for several still seconds right in front of the door, being illuminated by the light coming from the kitchen, making his messy hair that is sticking up all over the place, kind of glow golden like he has a halo. He’s wearing the same visor and apron as Rosa, but his apron is covered in flour and butter and chocolate and what looks like food coloring. Alex is stitched in the upper right corner of his apron in a rainbow colored thread.

That combined with the dark, dark eyes that seemed like they could swallow Michael whole and he would enjoy every minute of it, and the luscious full mouth, that purses into an annoyed expression the longer that Michael stares at him, makes him consider the warmth jolt in his stomach with the utmost seriousness.

He turns to Rosa to say something, turning his back to Michael and Michael’s gaze drops right to check out his ass, and it’s almost too good to be true.

Michael feels the hot bolt of attraction and the gooey warmth in his stomach combine to conspire against him.

He has the brief and totally insane thought of what flowers they’ll have at their wedding and if they would be in season, before he snaps himself out of it and looks into Alex’s narrowed pissed eyes and realizes that maybe the whole slow motion thing had been in his head and smiles as apologetic and charming as he can.

“So sorry,” he says. “I kind of spaced there for a second. What were you saying?”

His eyes dart over to Rosa who looks entirely too amused, so he probably hasn’t fucked up beyond repair.

Not that there is anything to fuck up.

Alex clears his throat pointedly, and Michael looks over to him immediately. 

Alex’s brow is still furrowed, but he seems to be more confused than angry.

He inhales deeply like he’s steeling himself and then moves to the side and Michael sees that while he’d been busy committing Alex to memory, they’d brought out a rolling stand with a huge open white cake box, the name and logo of the bakery stamped on the side, the cover is propped open so that the cake fits and there is what looks like a black veil covering the cake from view, and Michael’s curiosity peaks, overwhelming the stupefying feeling of attraction, and he leans forward, on the only empty space on top of the counter.

Alex’s brow furrows even more, but he just takes a deep breath and lifts the veil over the cake.

Michael has a moment where he thinks that he’s been transported to a gallery, because what Alex unveils could very easily be mistaken for a painting.

“Isobel wants you to take a picture even though I already uploaded the time lapse video on the shop’s Instagram-”

“Is that a replica of _Judith beheading Holofernes_ but with my sister?” Michael interrupts him leaning even closer, trying to get as close a look as possible.

The cake is three tiered and covered in white icing, with a pillow and pearl buttons design, that Michael remembers from the wedding cake that Isobel had when she married Noah, five years ago, seemingly bursting out of the cake, is the bloody scene, depicted in some kind of frosting or fondant, tiny Isobel with her knee right on tiny Noah’s chest, one hand in his hair, holding his head at an angle that exposes his neck and the other holding the hilt of the sword, as she slices through. There is realistic looking blood, and Isobel and Noah are very recognizable, and it’s literally the most amazing thing that Michael has ever seen in his life.

He looks up at Alex, who blinks twice at him before speaking.

“Yes,” he says shortly, bordering on defensive. “I talked with your sister and she told me her story while I sketched out some ideas, and afterwards she chose her favorite.”

Michael just exhales and wonders if it would be creepy to tell someone that he just met that he thinks he’s in love with him.

“It’s one of the most-” Michael starts and stops looking for a word to say, and Alex just sighs, like he’s tired and cuts him off.

“Disturbing things you’ve ever seen?” He says, a little mockingly making air quotes and rolling his eyes.

Michael’s complete attention focuses on Alex’s fingers, long and pale and strong and covered in rings silver and black, and several bandages.

Michael stares obviously enough that Alex fidgets a little, looking at his hands and scoffing.

“Don’t worry,” he says dead pan. “It’s not my blood. I only save the blood sacrifices for when I’m making pastry.”

Michael laughs, a startled burst of giggles that he can’t seem to really control, and Alex freezes completely on the other side of the counter, not moving, barely even breathing.

“I was actually going to say, it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Michael says and sincerely as he can.

Alex just stares at Michael with wide eyes, and he looks a little panicked and like he really needs to bail the scene, but as he turns to Rosa, Rosa turns away, heading towards the entrance.

“I’m taking my fifteen minute break,” she says.

Alex opens his mouth, and Rosa cuts him off as she pulls her phone out of her pocket.

“Yes, I’ll get you the French vanilla iced latte.”

He makes another attempt to say something, but the doorbell rings out again, and this time Michael lets the smile take over his face.

When he turns back to look at Alex, Alex is staring at him with a furrowed brow.

Michael licks his lips, but before he can say anything, Alex is speaking.

“The amount pending is 60$,” he says, and moves towards the register, pulling a receipt notebook from a pocket hanging beside the register and starts to write out the receipt.

Michael pulls out the money that Isobel had given him, the amount due plus a large tip.

Michael leaves the money on the counter, and pulls his phone out of his pocket to take a picture of the cake.

He sends it to Isobel and she immediately responds with a bunch of excited and happy emojis, and a text demanding that he hurry up and get back to her place.

Michael slides his phone back in his pocket without answering her, and turns to Alex who is counting the money and putting it inside of the register before he tears Michael’s copy of the receipt off the notebook and hands it to him.

Michael takes the receipt and before Alex can say anything else, his eyes fall on the caramel apples with the sign that Rosa had set down earlier.

“Does that mean I get one of those?” He asks pointing at the apples.

Alex purses his mouth and gives him a look.

Before he sighs and looks down at the apples.

“I like experimenting with flavors in my baking and sometimes it works really well, but most of the time it’s a disaster. I still test them out on customers to see if they like them.”

Michael nods his head slowly, “So the apple is the experiment you’re testing today?”

Alex smiles, a quick brief thing that Michael almost misses, before he grabs one of the plastic cake knives from a jar full of them, and a small white ceramic plate.

He lifts one of the apples on to the plate, using the side of the knife, and then sets the plate down in front of Michael.

He takes the knife and places the edge right by the wooden stick.

He pushes the knife down, and Michael expects resistance, so he’s surprised when the plastic knife just falls straight through, cutting the apple in half easily, only a slight crunch towards the bottom.

He parts the two halves and pushes one aside and then starts to speak again.

Michael looks away from the interesting layers of mousse and jelly and cookie, and looks at Alex and then can’t find himself able to look away.

“It’s a dark chocolate mousse sitting on top of a layer of hot mint jelly and a shortbread cookie infused with jalapeños and lime, shaped into a sphere and covered in a shiny red mirror glaze,” he says, pointing out every layer with a finger, and looking so animated that he almost seemed like a different person.

“I’m calling it the Poison Apple. The idea behind the flavors is that they’ll balance each other out, and I really like a little bit of heat in my desserts, something that I became fond of when I was overseas. But it’s not exactly everyone’s cup of tea.”

He looks up straight into Michael’s eyes and stops talking.

Michael licks his lips and looks down at the dessert. 

“That actually sounds awesome,” he says honestly, before he looks back up at Alex who flinches a little like he got caught doing something he shouldn’t.

Michael just smiles as reassuringly as possible and asks, “Can I have a fork?”

Alex stares at him for another long moment before he reaches down beneath the counter and pulls out a silver fork, and hands it over to Michael, who takes it smiling at Alex, who continues to look at Michael suspiciously like he’s expecting something bad to happen at any moment.

Michael just pulls the plate closer and tries a forkful, making sure to get a little bit of everything, and he barely hesitates as he takes the bite. 

The flavors explode on Michael’s tongue one after the other starting with the slightly bitter chocolate and then a sharp burst of lemon and the heat coming from the shortbread before there is a soothing coolness coming from the jelly, and Michael doesn’t really understand it and he never in a million years would’ve thought that the flavors would go together, but it actually works.

“Wow,” he says and looks at Alex who is just blinking at him like Michael is being confusing. “It’s amazing.”

He can’t help but sound awed. He hadn’t really expected it to taste as good as it did, and he wonders how much of it is due to the fact that Alex was the one who made it.

Michael eats most of the case, knowing he’s making the most ridiculous faces, but every time it hits him different.

Alex just continues to stare at him, gaze intense, and Michael finds that he really likes it.

He looks up at Alex then, and Alex is licking across his bottom lip, and Michael feels a pulse of heat go straight down the back of his neck, and he doesn’t think that he’s ever wanted anyone the way that he wants him, right now, but he also doesn’t think that he’s wanted to keep someone as much as well.

Before Michael can make any decision, Rosa is moving behind the counter, and Michael’s gaze falls on her, and he wonders how long she’d been watching.

The knowing smirk on her face tells him that it was long enough.

Alex jumps back, startled and he looks from Michael to Rosa before he grabs the coffee in her hands and walks straight through the double doors not even looking back.

Michael sets the fork down slowly and he looks at Rosa, who gives him a sympathetic smile, before she motions towards the cake with her chin. “Need some help with that?”

Michael nods his head, and Rosa covers the cake back up.

Together they get it secure to the back of the truck and Michael promises that he’ll drive slow.

Rosa turns to walk towards the bakery and then she turns back to Michael.

“Look,” she says, a protective edge to her voice.“You seem like a nice guy, and you obviously speak Alex, but Alex has been through a lot, and if you’re just messing with him-”

“I like him,” Michael blurts out, and rubs the back of his neck when Rosa looks at him, feeling a little embarrassed as he looks away from her. “I like him a lot. It actually feels a little insane how much.”

“Good,” she says and Michael’s gaze snaps back to her.

“You gotta be a little insane to try and date Alex,” she says, shrugging a little as she turns back towards the bakery. “He’s really fucking weird.”

And with that and a cheerful see you soon that she shouts from the open doorway, almost getting drowned out by the doorbell.

Michael shakes his head and gets into his car.

Something crinkles as he sits and he pulls the piece of paper from beneath his thigh and looks at the address for the bakery.

He’s almost completely sure that he’ll remember the way to get back here even without an address, but he pulls his phone out and saves the address in his contacts. 

A pop up appears asking him if he wants to add **sugarandspice** on instagram, and he clicks yes, and starts the truck.

His phone buzzes with a notification and he smiles when he sees **rosa.zombie.** is now following you.

He pulls away from the curb and finds his head full of thoughts that are entirely premature, but he can’t exactly help himself. 

He wonders if Alex will accept edible flowers and potted herbs in exchange for taste testing more of his flavor experiments.

*

The picture posted on Rosa’s instagram before seven in the morning is of Michael eating one of the mousse cakes disguised as a caramel apple with a rapturous look on his face, and Alex is staring at him like he’s confused and absolutely flabbergasted.

The caption for the picture is:

 **rosa.zombie.** he is eating one of **@manelydead** ’s super special recipes. obviously, he’s an alien.

Followed by the following comment thread almost immediately after posting:

 **lizziethestrange** HOLYSHIT!!!

 **delucastyle** holy shit

 **valentimcsexy** hoLY SHIT

 **iamcamiam** holy shit

 **manelydead** Don’t any of you assholes sleep in???

 **guerinsflowers** **@manelydead** 😉😉😉

 **intergalacticbitch** **@guerinsflowers** you fucking better not!


End file.
